


A Wild Time

by AlldaladiesluvLeoHoO_SpidypoolFan



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Ancient Greece, Back to the past, Percy Jackson Alternate Reality
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:21:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27164476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlldaladiesluvLeoHoO_SpidypoolFan/pseuds/AlldaladiesluvLeoHoO_SpidypoolFan
Summary: When Andromeda Jackson, Percy Jackson's twin sister, suddenly wakes up in a more than surprising place and Era, she must find a way to get home and the ride is more than a little wild.
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> While some characters mentioned belong to Rick Riordan, the plot of this and the other characters belong to me and the peoples of Ancient Greece.

I was pissed. Well, Andromeda, why are you so pissed, you might ask? Well to answer that very fine question, all you have to do is ask another! Where did I wake up?  
  
I went to bed in Mom's apartment, I hadn't left since I got back from the Giant War seeing as I hadn't been there for almost 4 years. What's more, it was a better apartment with a new and much nicer Step-Dad and a pregnant Mom who doted on my own daughters, Zoe and Bianca. I went to bed there.  
  
I was woken up by the sound of the ocean, the waves crashing down calmly only a few feet from where I lay. Red flag number 1. I quickly sat up and noticed that Zoe and Bianca weren't by my side like they had been when I had fallen asleep. Red flag number 2. When I stood, I found that I was noticeably shorter than I had been and was also wearing a _chiton_ and sandals, the old kind I had seen on murals. Red flag number 3.  
  
I saw something glittering in the shallows and when I picked it up, I was relieved to find that it was Current, the twin sword to Riptide. My sword. It was in hair clip form of course, so I placed it back in my hair.  
  
It was as I was pacing back and forth across the small stretch of beach that I had woken up on that I heard someone approaching. So, naturally, my sword was in hand and at the person's throat in a matter of milliseconds. Studying the person on the other side of the blade, I could tell that he was in his late teens or early 20's.  
  
He had black hair and brown eyes, was dressed in similar attire to me, and had a kingly walk about him. "Who are you and why did you sneak up on me?" I questioned and almost groaned at the childish sound of my voice. I was a couple of years younger than I should've been. I almost missed the answer that this man gave me.  
  
"I am Odysseus, the new king of this island. I saw you lying on the sand and came to see if you were alright, though you are clearly able to determine that for yourself." He said, not even miffed at the sword held against his throat.  
  
I just dropped him after a few seconds and took that in. King Odysseus. That means this place... I'm in Ithaca! And he's rather young, so that means the Trojan war hasn't happened yet. "So then this place would be Ithaca, correct?" I asked him and he nodded, watching my mental assessment quietly from the side-lines.  
  
I paused and looked at him again. "I apologize for holding you at sword point. Usually, the people who sneak up on me are trying to kill me, if you can understand my immediate defense." I told him.  
  
"Then I guess your apology can be accepted." He said rather cheerfully. "What is your name then?"  
  
"Andromeda. But please, call me Andre, everyone does."  
  
At this, he looked skeptical. "As in the Princess of Aethiopia, Andromeda?" I just shook my head.  
  
"No, I was merely named after the princess. I'm not her." I answered truthfully. I felt being truthful for now would pay off later.  
  
"If you need a place to rest, you're welcome to stay at the palace for as long as you need. We have more than enough there at the moment." He offered after nodding at my explanation. I was a little surprised by the offer, but from what I knew, it was rude to decline a direct offer from a king and I wouldn't have a place to go otherwise, so accepting it was a good choice.  
  
At this point, I was just thinking about how much Odysseus was taller than me and the fact that Current wasn't as evenly balanced as before, even if the grip felt the same. It wasn't so much the balance than the fact that the sword was a bit bigger than I remembered.  
  
On our way to the palace, I had a mini interrogation from Odysseus, though with the way he asked things, it was clear he was just curious.  
  
"How old even are you?"  
  
I didn't know the answer anymore, so I just went with my gut. "I'm 8-years-old," I told him, and the answer surprised me a little, but I didn't let it show. If it wasn't the correct answer, I didn't know it was wrong. Besides, I had always been the better liar between Percy and me, people would actually believe lies I told since I wasn't so obvious.  
  
"If it isn't a sore subject, why were you on the beach? I've never seen you around the island before."  
  
"I was sailing with my family a few weeks ago when a storm wiped our ship from the sea. I guess I must have washed up on shore while I was sleeping." I told him, coming up with that right on the spot. He just looked worried.  
  
"Do you know any news about your family then?" He asked the concern showing clear in his voice.  
  
I just shook my head. "I know that my mother didn't make it... She was inside the ship when it went down."  
  
The questions didn't start up for a few more minutes when I saw a small bit of nervous energy from Odysseus. "Where are you from?"  
  
"Sparta," I answered instinctively.  
  
"Is that why you have a sword? Were you trained to use it well?" He asked me, and I had to hide a smile.  
  
"I'm pretty good with a sword, but I'm still learning. Living targets are much easier to practice with, they can react and counter your own moves. The training dummies are a bit harder for practice if you don't have the imagination." I answered, a bit of happiness coming through in my words. He hummed in agreement and then I heard a woman's voice from a building in front of us that must have been the palace.  
  
The woman was also young, younger than Odysseus by at least 4 years, maybe 8. She was beautiful with sapphire blue eyes, and pitch-black hair, outlining the soft features of her face. "Odysseus, dear, whose this little one?" She asked him, her voice sharp yet soft, an odd combination.  
  
He turned to me, and it became clear that I was to introduce myself when the woman turned to me as well. "I'm Andromeda, but you can call me Andre. And no, I'm not the Princess of Aethiopia. I was just named after her, which is why everyone calls me Andre instead." As an afterthought, I added, "It's nice to meet you, Miss." and a little curtsy after that.  
  
She smiled softly and looked at Odysseus, and when I looked, I could see him smiling down at me, which made me smile. ... Little kid feelings are back! "Alright then, Andre, I'm Penelope. And you've no doubt met my husband to be, Odysseus, seeing as he brought you here." I nodded, then processed what she had just said. They were about to get married.  
  
"Then congratulations you two," I told them cheerfully. "Odysseus, who is that with you and Penelope outside?" I heard an older voice say, another woman with a strict and handsome tone. A few seconds later, a wizened woman, only about as old as my Mother, came out the door. She had black hair and the same brown eyes that Odysseus did, with strong features and piercing eyes. I could only assume that she was his mother.  
  
"Oh, Mother, this is Andre. I found her washed up on the shore, and offered her a place to rest for a while." Odysseus responded, bowing his head to her. I curtsied again in her direction, holding it until she told me I could stand.  
  
"If you truly did wash up on our shores, come inside, I'll have a bath drawn up. It will be much better than staying like you are now, and you'll be able to relax at least a small amount." She told me, her strict voice going a tiny bit soft as she held out her hand to me.  
  
I looked to Odysseus and when he nodded, I accepted the offered hand. I will never get used to having to be polite to royalty and asking to do things...  
  
Needless to say, while the wait was rather long, the bath that I was able to take was worth the wait. I was strongly against the maids helping me to bathe though, which was thankfully something that they noticed, so I was able to bathe on my own. After, I smelled like honey and the ocean along with some flowers that I'd never smelled before, and I was about as relaxed as I was going to get.  
  
I was given new clothes, and when the maids helped me get dressed, I was actually thankful because I had no clue how to put that dress thing on. They tried giving me a new hair clip, but I told them that the one I had was special to me, so they let me continue to wear it. I heard a knock on the leather that was the door as I was looking at myself in the mirror.  
  
"You're fine to come in," I called, not turning my head away.  
  
My hair was like normal, down to my waist in waves bigger than my future, my height was maybe 3'8" if even. I really was small as a child, malnourished and frail, and it is shown in my body frame. Everything about me was smaller, and it was weird to see myself like this again. Able to see just how starved I was if I turned a certain way, my rib cage would have almost been in full view if it wasn't covered by the _chiton_. My _chiton_ this time was a deep blue instead of the steely green color it had been before. My sandals were studded with little blue seashells and it looked gorgeous.  
  
"You look beautiful..." I heard the voice of Penelope say from the doorway. I turned to her with a smile on my face. Nothing was wrong, keep smiling and it will be true! She must have sensed that I wasn't alright, because a look of understanding concern crossed her face. "Would it be alright if I styled your hair? I might be able to do something with it if you allow me." She offered.  
  
I just nodded. She gave me a reassuring smile and set to work. I don't know what it was about her styling my hair, but she sort of became my big sister in the conversations we had while it happened. She got me to smile real smiles, and that was better than I hoped for. After my hair was done, she led me to dinner. When we got in there, Odysseus was at the head of the table, Penelope sat on his right, his mother sitting on her right. I was directed to sit on his left. I don't know what any of this was, but we bonded throughout that dinner.  
  
"The others are arriving in three weeks' time, Mother. We still have another four weeks to prepare for this." Odysseus chuckled at his mother's behavior toward the wedding preparations.  
  
"Huh! Four weeks will go by like that!" She said, snapping her fingers as if it made her point stronger. Of course, the snap of her voice made it stronger than the snap of her fingers did.  
  
"Your mother is right, Odysseus. It may seem like there is a lot of time, but it really isn't that much." Penelope agreed with Odysseus' mother.  
  
Odysseus looked at me and I knew what was coming but wished it wouldn't. "What about you. You're young, but it is an important matter. What do you think about there being three weeks left?"  
  
I blushed intensely. "I'm going to have to side with your mother and Penelope, three weeks is nothing to scoff at, my Lord." I told him, adding on 'my Lord' as an afterthought.  
  
"Alright then, how so?" He asked.  
  
"What's your plan for seating?" I asked him right back. The two women at the table looked on amused, waiting to see the answer to my question.  
  
"Let the guests sit where they please, it should be their choice." Wrong answer.  
  
"Only if you want disaster to strike will you let the guests choose where they want to sit." His mother looked pointedly at him while saying this.  
  
"Mhmm." I agreed. "You have to be careful where the guests sit. See which people would be better off sitting as far away from each other as possible, and which guests would do better if they sat next to a certain person."  
  
"Wise words coming from one so young." Penelope nodded toward me, and it made me smile. "Thank you, my Lady."  
  
Three weeks really did go by like that. During that time, I had gotten familiar with the palace, Odysseus' mother had basically adopted me, I had been able to hold Current properly and practice daily, and I had created all of the Myth'o'Magic cards I could remember, which got me at a deck of around 300 cards. I had made eight stacks in case any of the others wanted to play with me, and Penelope was quite impressed with the drawings of each god and hero I had made for each card, because all of the drawings were different, even for the repeat cards for different decks. It was almost 3-D with how lifelike the characters were.  
  
Anticlea, Odysseus' mother, was just happy that I was at least somewhat educated enough to make the cards and the game. Now I understand why the card decks I had bought a long time ago said, 'Original Game Made in 1,228 BC.' I thought it was just to get more sales. I woke up three weeks and two days after arriving back in time to see ships outside my window, on the horizon. They wouldn't make landfall until around two hours after noon, so I just went and got ready for the day. Breakfast was rather eventful because I finally found out who some of the people were that were coming for the wedding.  
  
Theseus, Herakles, Jason, Perseus, Andromeda, Atalanta, even Bellerophon! Two yuckies, three opsies, and two okays. Yup, it's a weird day.  
  
But the thing is, only Herakles, Perseus and Atalanta were heroes yet. Theseus was just a young boy apparently; only 7, Jason has only a few months before he has to set sail on the Argo, and Bellerophon was just tagging along. He was around 5, and he had just gotten the name Bellerophon too. Herakles was still working on his 12 labors as well.  
  
Lunch couldn't come sooner, because that was reserved until the people on the ship landed. When it did land, we had to wait for Odysseus to greet them and take them up to the palace, and show them into the dining room. I was sitting next to Anticlea this time. Jason sat on Odysseus' left, followed by Herakles, Theseus, Bellerophon, and Perseus. On my right sat Atalanta and then Andromeda sat on the right of her across from her husband, Perseus.  
  
I did get to talk a bit with my brothers(Though I doubt they know we're related yet) Theseus and Bellerophon, so it was nice to know them before Theseus does stupid things and Bellerophon does arrogant things. Atalanta was great too, she said that she would be up for practicing sword fighting with me later! The other guests all looked really worried about that, but I just smiled. I was looking forward to this, even if I was about to get my ass handed to me.  
  
"You sure about that little lady?" I heard someone ask and turned to be met with the sight of an amused Herakles. "I've seen Atalanta fight, nothing a little lady like you should be fighting up against."  
  
I raised an eyebrow at his choice of words. "It's only practice. Besides, it would be a learning experience either way." I told him. "I wouldn't be fighting to win, though it would be a miracle if that happened. It's to learn how I can improve my skills to become a better fighter." I gave him a smile, letting it show that I didn't care whether I won or lost, as long as I gained something from the fight.  
  
The rest of lunch passed in muted excitement. Once we were all excused from the table, we made our way to the courtyard and got ready. I shifted my _chiton_ so that it became a make-shift battle toga, and stretched while Atalanta did the same, getting herself evened out as she practiced swinging her sword. It was clear that she preferred the bow and arrow, and this sword wasn't evenly balanced for her, but she did exceedingly well with the stretches.  
  
When we got into our make-shift arena, the others spectating, I took Current from its hairpin. The others didn't notice where the other sword had come from, so they didn't really question it.  
  
We each got into our battle stance and with a quick glance at Atalanta, I could see that she favored her right foot and that her left side was left with a small opening in her defense, along with her right shoulder. She hid those well, but I could still see it. "Where did you learn to get into a stance like that, little one?" She asked me, curiosity shining through her words.  
  
"Sparta." Was my only answer, but she nodded and a smile came over her face. I could tell that those who had never seen me fight now had their interests piqued. I knew that my defense was as good as I was going to get, nothing was left unguarded and I didn't favor my left or my right leg, keeping it completely evened out on both sides.  
  
A few long seconds passed where we just circled one another looking for a way in. And then, like a deadly arrowhead on its projected path, Atalanta pounced. Her moments were quick, but I was able to duck and counter her strike with almost no effort. And so began the deadly practice spar between Atalanta and me. It was clear she wasn't holding back, trying to practice with me without mercy or soft hits to either take me down quickly or have me expand my limits to their breaking points.  
  
I was quickly able to figure out a rhythm that she went by, subtle, and almost untraceable. To an outsider, it would look like she was fighting in a very chaotic way. But after 15 minutes of continuous sparring with me staying on the defensive, I found her style. And I used it against her. It took me nearly 10 minutes more to get her on the floor with my sword at her throat, her sword in my other hand at her leg, but it happened. I was panting and covered in sweat, we both were. But I had won.  
  
I handed her back her sword hilt first and smiled. "You fight very well, I will give you that," I told her. "You tend to favor your right foot, it leaves your left side open. A small fix, but definitely something that can be improved upon." I offered her some constructive criticism.  
  
She smiled right back at me. "You as well fight as good as any other adult. Your blade seems a bit heavy for you, but time should fix that problem." I offered her my hand and she took it, though I'm sure she expected to have to use her own strength to lift herself up. She was surprised when I lifted her up as easily as I lift my sword.  
  
When I looked at the others, I saw varying degrees of shock and amusement.

It was around an hour later that every single one of us was in a very large communal bath, the girls sticking to one side while the boys stuck to the other. Well, most of the guys were in the bath, Perseus and Herakles seemed hesitant to get in.  
  
"You two scared?" I asked them as I looked at them not getting in with the others. They just looked at me with different levels of defense.  
  
"It's alright to be scared sometimes. Being scared can help you not die." I told them in an, 'it's okay' tone. "When you're scared, it can help to think about something that makes you calm. When I'm really high up, I think of the ocean. For you, it'll be different, but it could help." And I swam away. Only a minute later, both of them got in and they looked calmer than before, so I guess it worked. I hoped for them both to have an easier time swimming in the bath, and a tug in my gut told me that they probably did.  
  
"What did you do over there, child? I've never seen those two willingly get into any water. They usually have to be dragged into the bathing pool." Atalanta asked me, that same old curiosity coming through in her voice.  
  
"I asked them if they were scared. It's okay to be scared, but thinking of things that make you calm can help you. I told them to think calm." I answered her, and I was surprised at how much like a little kid I've sounded like now. I guess being 8 back in time has warped my mind to think my age.  
  
"So that's how you got my husband to finally bathe," Andromeda said with an amused tone.  
  
I nodded and then I remembered about my Myth'o'Magic cards. "Would you want to play a game with me later?" I asked Atalanta who sadly shook her head. "I'm sorry little one, but we need to help set up the wedding. It's a week away and there's a lot of things to be done. Perhaps you could ask Theseus and Bellerophon to play the game with you?"  
  
I nodded but then came in close to her. As quietly as I could, I whispered, "I had a weird dream where a bigger Theseus fought a bull guy, so I made a card for him in the game." I did dream of that of course, only a few days ago. But I made his card because it was one of the hero cards in the actual Myth'o'Magic game. This placed a rather curious and hard thinking face on Atalanta, but I ignored it in favor of getting someone to play Myth'o'Magic with me.  
  
I swam easily over to Theseus and Bellerophon on the other side of the pool. "Would you two want to play a game with me later?"  
  
"What kind of game is it?" Bellerophon was the one to ask the question.  
  
"A card game."


	2. Chapter 2

"Well, what kind of card game is it?" Theseus asked, obviously wanting to know.  
  
"It's a card game that I made. It has monsters and gods and titans and giants too. I call it Myth'o'Magic." I told him. This had the interests of Bellerophon and Theseus piqued. Herakles and Perseus, who were right next to them, looked at me in mute disappointment.  
  
"No heroes?" Herakles was the one to ask the question. I only gave them a smile. Besides, from what I learned of Herakles, he had only completed one of his 12 labors so far. Only 11 years to go until he's finished!  
  
"It has heroes, but since most of the hero cards I made haven't finished their adventures yet, I won't be using those," I told the two with knowing looks. They questioned me further, but I gave them no other answers. In the end, after the bath was done, I got not only Theseus and Bellerophon to play but also Herakles and Perseus.  
  
It was fun explaining it to them, and just to pique interest in the game for the two adults, I showed them both one of their eight cards.  
  
"Each person gets to choose six cards to use, and what that card can do is written on it. See, I've got Circe here, and she has 5,000 health points. She has two attack moves: transformation, which has 300 attack damage, 700 attack damage if she strikes before the opposing card, and poison, which has 250 attack damage, 400 attack damage if the opposing card strikes first. If I put her up against... an Empousa. The Empousa has 1,000 health points. So if you were to have her card use transformation first, then the Empousa would be down to 300 health points and just one more transformation would kill the Empousa and you would no longer be able to use the card." I said, explaining and going along as they followed. I'm not sure they got it, but they all nodded along and I didn't want to call them out for not knowing basic math. After all, basic math to me might not have always been basic math.  
  
Theseus and Bellerophon were able to follow my words much easier than Herakles and Perseus, whether it was because they were kids, I didn't know. They just absorbed all of the information I gave them, though I made sure not to include any monsters that neither of them had faced yet - don't really want them to think it's going to be as easy as the card game.  
  
"So, what is your name, little lady? We've never actually gotten around to knowing it, and I'm curious." Herakles asked me when we were fighting a card battle, me with Hades and Circe, him with Zeus and Zephyrs.  
  
"I'm Andre," I said as I let his Zephyrs card attack Hades. I just held a smirk on my face as I used the newly gained 5,000 attack damage to take the Zeus card out of play. He had used it on the others, it was only us with these two cards left in the game. But since it was down its original 30,000 health points to a low 4,500, that one attack got rid of his main powerhouse.  
  
He gaped for a few seconds. "Didn't you say that the Hades card only had 4,000 attack damage?"  
  
"I did, but if you'll recall, I also said that he has 5,000 attack damage if he is struck by an opponent before his attack," I said trading my smirk for a friendly smile.  
  
"It's true, she did say that," Perseus said with a snicker. He crossed out the 4,500 that was left for Herakles' Zeus card that was drawn on a paper and the card went immediately to the discard pile. I looked at the number 30,000 that was still there for the Hades card. I had been careful to avoid drawing attention to it before so that I could use it as my last powerhouse move to win the game.  
  
Herakles turned the Zephyres card on my Hades card and dealt 450 attack damage to it. I just laughed, soft and clear as a bell in the light breeze that was going through the room. And then I used the Hades card on his only remaining one, 5,000 attack damage going to a card that only held 3,000 health.  
  
"I believe that she won the game," Theseus said from behind my shoulder. Herakles rolled his eyes and nodded, getting up.  
  
"She did make the game, so her win makes sense," Herakles grumbled, but found a way to give himself a reason to lose, a thing he is familiar with but doesn't like in the slightest.  
  
I just shrugged and let it slide.  
  
The wedding was honestly really nice, and my advice was taken to choose for ourselves where the other guests would sit. Most people who came were ones that I didn't know, so when I was placed by two men who looked to be merchants, I didn't flinch or waver in the slightest. They did look familiar to me, and it could have been from one of my many visits into town with Theseus, Bellerophon, and Lady Penelope.  
  
During the after-party, many people danced, though, after the traditional bride and groom dance, it was me who drew the others to the dance circle around the central hearth. The only two who didn't seem to dance were the two merchants who had sat by me at dinner. I had seen their interest when I talked of my card game, and I had even shown them all the cards of the 12 major gods.  
  
They had delighted in them, a few more than others. So when they didn't dance, I approached them once again.  
  
"Hello again!" I smiled cheerfully at them as I came near. When they looked, I could see curiosity cross their features before being quickly replaced by amused looks.  
  
"Is there a particular reason why you two don't dance? I've seen every other person dance at least once, but not the two of you." I asked, tilting my head just right to convey my confusion. The two men looked at one another before looking back at me.  
  
"Dancing, is not exactly a thing we do, young one." These words came from the blonde one. I assumed they must have been brothers, for they both had the same blue eyes. I nodded, understanding that dancing wasn't for everyone.  
  
"Dancing isn't for everyone, I guess," I said aloud.  
  
The man with black hair was the one who spoke next. Though it was completely off-topic, I was able to follow perfectly. "Why have you not shown us all of your cards for your game?"  
  
"Why would I show all of the cards?" I asked him in return.  
  
"Because, should we not be able to see all of your masterpiece? Only giving a small portion of a valuable work of art can make the art in turn worth not a thing. Would it not be better to show us the rest of those cards and make the art worth its weight in gold?"  
  
I only laughed lightly at his phrasing, and if he was surprised, he didn't show it. "Your comparison of my cards to art is flattering. But, a masterpiece that is shown before it is finished?"  
  
I looked at them both in question, seeing if they would answer. But it was they who didn't know the answer, I was the one who they wanted to give it. "You will be cheated of the amount of gold that you might have gotten if only you had shown the full picture when it was truly ready." I think the fact that I said this happily is what surprised them. Both of them, however much they tried to hide it, were intrigued by my words.  
  
"But the picture can be complete, and still be left unfinished, for it is the world that must be ready for the picture, not the other way around. When the world fills in the picture to its people, then you may see those cards that have been filled into the world. Until then, you will have to wait." I said, nodding with satisfaction. I gave them another warm and friendly smile. "Enjoy the rest of the wedding party!" and I skipped away.  
  
You heard me right. I skipped. I had meant every word I said to them, they would have to wait to be introduced to the heroes in the real world before I can show them the cards that belong to said heroes. I made one for Zoë, but I had made it as if it were a rare collectible, only one of them existed.  
  
It was almost four months later that the guests could leave. It had been near winter when they had sailed in and the day after the wedding, a real chill had taken over the island. You could see, everywhere you turned, the land itself was done preparing for winter to come because it finally had.  
  
Now, in spring, the guests finally started to leave the island. During our talks, I had let slip that I was a sister of theirs to Theseus and Bellerophon. It had spread around the island by the time noon came that day. Those merchants would come and talk to me often when I walked around the island, though it was mostly the black-haired one who talked to me during my wanderings.  
  
I was sitting on the beach, staring out at the night sky one night, when Selene didn't make her way across the night sky. That was when I noticed a man sitting on the opposite side of the beach. He was not near the water, he was barely even touching the sand. He was so far down the beach that the only reason I had noticed him was through the shift in the air when I had seen a clump of shadows around the man as if they were armor around him.  
  
So, naturally, when I saw his saddened expression looking out into a bed of blooming flowers near him rather than at the ocean, I stood and made my way over. His back was mostly to me, only a small portion of that sad expression could be seen by me as I walked toward him. I made sure that the sand crunched softly under my feet so that this man wouldn't be startled by me. However, the closer I got to him, the colder I felt.  
  
Since spring on this island was hot, it was the cold that drew me even nearer to him. At last, I stopped until I was a few feet from the edge of the grass he had chosen to sit on, my feet gently placed on the fine sand of this area on the beach. "Can you not see that I am a man who wishes to be alone." He said, not turning to face me. There seemed to be a longing in his voice as he looked at the flowers, every so often turning his gaze to the sea before going back to the flowers again.  
  
"I can see that you wish anything but to be alone," I said softly, observing his movements closely. Power rolled off of him in waves, the pure terror of his aura is what gave him away. But I wasn't scared of staying with this aura, I never was one to run from terror. The expression on the man turned to fury, so I continued, hoping that I wouldn't be blasted to bits.  
  
"You look at the flowers like they are a person, but I sense no nymph residing in them. So they must remind you of someone who you wish to be with. Yet you stay away from the flowers, so you can't be with the person. All that is left for you to do is look from afar and wait." I said this as softly as I could to him, I knew of the unending temper of gods in the ancient days.  
  
This was when he finally turned to me. When he saw me, he startled back for a moment and I heard him mutter, as light as a breath, the word 'Mother'. He looked a little hopeful, but then he scanned around us and his eyes dimmed. "Who are you, child?" He asked as he turned his attention back to me.  
  
"I'm Andromeda, though everyone calls me Andre, my Lord," I said, inclining my head when I added the title. With Hades, I actually try to be polite. He was the only uncle that actually treated me like family. Whether it's because I treat him as family or not, I don't know.  
  
A slightly confused look took over his face, something he wasn't able to hide. "You're that supposed daughter of Poseidon. Do you know who I am?" When I nodded, even more confusion flooded his expression. "Most who know who I am either run in terror or beg for mercy. You, above the others, have most reason to do so."  
  
I planted a soft smile on my face. "I don't usually run from things because of fear, and while I'm not above begging, I know that bargaining is the better option."  
  
His face fell into a glum expression. "So you've come to bargain with me then." He didn't ask, it was a statement.  
  
All I did in return was keep my smile and shake my head. "No. I came because you looked so sad, I wanted to see if I might have been able to cheer you up. Even if it was only a little."  
  
"Why would you ever want to do that? No one does." He asked, his voice taking on a challenging edge.  
  
"Well, we're family, aren't we?" I asked him. When I said those words, I don't know what his reaction was, his face had smoothed over into an impassive look. But his eyes regained that little bit of hopeful light they had when he had first looked at me.  
  
After a few seconds of comfortable silence, he drew in a breath and spoke. "Do you know... No one really considers me family besides the one to which I'm married, your father, and my oldest sister?" That surprised me.  
  
I shook my head and for the first time in our conversation, I frowned. "I didn't know that."  
  
He just sighed and looked again at the flowers. "You look like your grandmother." He told me when he looked back. The sudden jump in conversation surprised me a little - The Uncle that I had known didn't change the conversation very much, he stuck to one thing and gradually changed into the next. I think he took the look of surprise on my face as me having not known.  
  
"The same hair, nose, even your eyes. My brother was the one to share his eyes with her, and you share his eyes. You are the spitting image of her." He told me.  
  
"Why do you tell me this?" I knew the answer, but I was seeing if he gave me the same one he had all those years ago. Or is it now years ahead?  
  
"I tell you because she was desired by thousands. The only thing that kept her from harm by a man's hand was my father, and that ended when they were married. You look like her, already your beauty outshines thousands. It is only natural that, as you consider me family, I shall consider you the same. So me telling this to you is in warning. I will try my best to make sure nothing happens to you, as I'm sure your father will if he meets you. But you must be careful."  
  
I nodded. "I will try my best."  
  
He nodded as well. "I suppose that's the best you can do, is try." He looked up into the sky before looking back at me. "You would do well to go back and rest. The ship which your brothers arrived on leaves tomorrow after first light. You are going with them, you will need your sleep."  
  
I smiled and nodded. Before I could walk away, he said to me, "Thank you for cheering me up, if only for a little while." I looked back and nodded again, my smile growing, before turning back and walking off up to the palace.  
  
Just as he said, when I woke up early the next morning, it was to a knock on my door. Atalanta was the one there, and she was asking if I would want to join them on their journey. Each of them was going to be dropped off at a different spot, but the ship belonged to someone from Theseus' home city-state. He and Bellerophon would be dropped off last, seeing as the ship's final destination was where they were headed. At least, for Bellerophon, a stop on the way to where he was headed. He was going to a place that was land-locked.  
  
It was supposed to take weeks to get to our destination, so when after six days, we stopped at an island, I was curious. It was supposed to be to resupply from the island's resources. We camped out on the beach and a few of our crew members left. After two days, they didn't return and more of our crew left to find them.  
  
After a week on the island, I knew where we were. I wandered over to the trees and was about to head on the boar path that I had found when I was stopped. "What're you doing?" I heard someone say behind me. I turned to find the dark-haired man from the wedding. So he wasn't a merchant after all.  
  
"You know we aren't supposed to leave the beach until our missing crew members return." His expression was serious, yet his voice was highly amused. Clearly, he knew something about this place and found his words funny.  
  
I just smiled. "While normally, I would take staying on the beach over going into a forest I know nothing about, I think you and I both know that those men won't return unless I help them to. And I don't mean for them to return with trotters either." I added the last part before he could say whatever it was he was about to.  
  
Now it was perfectly clear that he was amused. I had hit home with the assumption. "What makes you think that you won't end up with trotters yourself?" He asked with a smirk.  
  
"She hates men. She does have a soft spot for children though. And by all definitions, I am still a child." I told him. Without waiting for an answer, I left into the forest, keeping a hand on Current all the while.  
  
It took me hours to climb up the hill and to the house, I had spotted at the top while on the trail. It wasn't easy to climb it when I had never been here before. I had heard that my brother was here once, but I had never gotten the story from him. When I heard the squealing of pigs, I knew that I was near it. Finally, I made it to the door, and with a confidence I shouldn't have had, I knocked on the door.  
  
A few seconds later, a gorgeous woman with yellow eyes, brown hair, and clear skin opened the door. Just by her reaction to me alone, she had not been expecting a child to come knocking at her door, she had expected more of the men. She looked behind me for someone else and found no one.  
  
"Hello, my Lady," I said bowing slightly. I rose again to speak. "Have you seen a few men pass by? About six of them in all?" I knew the answer already, and I knew she was very unlikely to give it to me.  
  
"I'm terribly sorry dear, but I haven't seen them. Are they part of some ship's crew?" She asked, faux concern for the men shining in her voice. Anyone who didn't know would have believed it. I just nodded my head in answer, my own real concern for the men shining clearly in my movements. I could see the pigs in the pigpen trying to come to me, each one squealing loudly as if to convey their human words to me.  
  
"Did the crew send you up here all by yourself to ask!?" She asked, this time in real concern and slight malice towards the rest of the crew on the beach.  
  
"No, my Lady. They didn't know that I left, though I'm sure they're aware of it by now, it's been hours. I saw a boar trail and knew that it was the way to go to try finding those men. We're not to leave without them."  
  
"Hours! Dear, when did you start walking the trail?" She asked, more real concern rising.  
  
I had to think about that for a little. The sun had been setting and the darkness of the forest was hard to see through, which was why it had taken so long to get here. It was before dinner, which is why I knew that my absence had probably been noticed. We were running low on food, there wasn't much on this island that we knew was good to eat or not. So, naturally, everyone had smaller portions and we only ate at first and last light.  
  
"I think it must have been sunset when I started walking. And I missed dinner, so that's why my absence has more than likely been noted." I told her.  
  
"You must be hungry. When was the last time you ate?"  
  
"At first light for breakfast," I answered without hesitation. This shocked her.  
  
"Dear, come inside, I will get you something to eat." She said, in a tone that my mother used to use when she was worried out of her mind. I heard the pigs squeal louder as if in warning this time. They were afraid of me eating in her house.  
  
I just gave the pigs a look, and nodded my head slightly, before going inside after Circe. She fed me excellent foods, but instead of giving me honey mead, what she gave me was nothing more than water. I could tell, there was nothing in it. She invited me to sit with her by her fireplace and she told me stories.  
  
Her lions loved me. "They don't usually act like that to anyone but me." She said confused as one of the lion cubs jumped up on my lap and a second one, an adult, rubbed up against my legs. I just stroked the lion cub and pet the adults head as more of the lions surrounded me, each craving my attention and affection.  
  
I smiled at them. "I was once told by my uncle that I look exactly like my grandmother. She always had lions in her company. Maybe, they see the resemblance too."  
  
She looked quizzically at me. "Who is your grandmother to have such creatures by her side?"  
  
I smiled. "She is the Titan Rhea, the Great Mother to the gods and Queen of the Titans."


	3. Chapter 3

"She's who!" Circe asked me in utter surprise.  
  
"The Titan Queen," I confirmed for her. The lion cub pressed its head against my hand and leaned into my touch. I noticed then that she did not have her famed loom crafted by Daedalus. She had not yet gone to Crete, which means that the Minotaur hasn't been born yet either.  
  
"So are you a goddess then? Come to visit me in my exile?" Circe asked me with confusion in all her words.  
  
I just smiled and shook my head. "No, I'm no goddess, though I know that you are the daughter of the sun. The goddess Circe."  
  
"If you aren't a goddess, and the Titan Queen truly is your grandmother, then that would either make you a nymph, or a demigoddess. So which are you?" She asked me, honestly intrigued by this.  
  
"I'm a demigoddess, a daughter of Poseidon. And I came to ask for the six men of our crew back." I told her, keeping my attention on the lions around me.  
  
"So why did you come by yourself to do this?" She asked me.  
  
"I would rather not have any more of the crew turned into pigs than necessary. I will not excuse their rowdiness, I have been sailing with them for only a few days and I can already see that they are less than pleasant." I said to her.  
  
"I can tell that there is more to this than just the pigs. Tell me, what other reason do you have?"  
  
Looking directly in her eyes, I spoke.  
  
 _"Owls fear flies high,_  
 _Either wit or a boy must die,_  
 _A fate chosen by the daughter of the sun,_  
 _A life caged or from blood and bone he'll run."_  
  
She stared at me for a few seconds before getting up and grabbing a paste from her kitchen. I stood and followed her out to the pigsty. When she approached the pigs, they started squealing in fear, but when they saw me, the lion cub having migrated to my shoulders sleeping peacefully, they stopped their squeals. She took the paste and applied it to each of the pigs' noses and one by one, the six missing members of our crew started to rearrange from the pigs they had been turned into.  
  
Among them was Perseus, who had been part of the second party. Each of them had thanks pouring from their mouths as though they were waterfalls. I ignored each of them in favor of turning to face Circe.  
  
"Is there anything else you and your party need from here?" Circe asked me in a clear voice, silencing the men.  
  
"We'll need food and clean water for our travel. We're running low on both. As much as each of us can carry will have to do, we have over 40 others to feed."  
  
She nodded and soon, each of us found ourselves with baskets and _pithoi_ of food and water. She had also gifted us four sheep(Three ewes and a ram), and two goats(Which she made from two of the wild boar on the island). I had found as we were leaving the next morning, that the lion cub just wouldn't stay with Circe. It wanted to go with me.  
  
"You may keep that one as well if she doesn't want to stay here," Circe told me at last. She had given us three drags to hold more food, but we would have to leave them here. So we left down the path to the beach.  
  
It took us a while, we had to get the sheep and goats to come with us, but when we got back to the beach, that dark-haired man was the first to notice us. It didn't take long for the others to notice us as well. The fact that we came bearing tons of food didn't go unnoticed either. Some of the food that was in the first drag was used as our breakfast, and during that time, both the dark-haired man and the blonde one came up to me.  
  
I was eating away from the rest, looking after the animals, who seemed to listen to me best. They brought their own food and sat with me.  
  
"So, how did you get her to turn back our men?" The dark-haired one asked, and they both looked at me.  
  
"I told her a rhyming riddle of her future, I guess it could be considered a prophecy. I dreamed of it weeks ago." This was true. I had dreamed of her future, but coming up with the riddle of how to deliver it was something that had come to me while speaking to her. Never tell a person their future outright, tell them something that will confuse them to no end. That way, they will not be able to even try changing it.  
  
The blonde raised an eyebrow but didn't question my words. The dark-haired one looked highly amused at my answer.  
  
"Would you mind telling us the prophecy then?" The blonde asked. I nodded.  
  
"Owls fear flies high, Either wit or a boy must die, A fate chosen by the daughter of the sun, A life caged or from blood and bone he'll run. Those were the exact words I told her, and after I did, she turned our men back at once, gave us a place to sleep for the night, food for the rest of you, and a bit more, and sent us on our way."  
  
The blonde now looked like his brother, amused and maybe slightly awed. I couldn't quite place it more. "Why not tell her the future outright? Or did you only dream of that prophecy?"  
  
"Oh no, I came up with that riddle on my own while speaking to her. A thing to know about giving someone a riddle about their future rather than saying it straight and plain to them; they can misinterpret the riddle, go after the wrong things." I said with a happy edge in my voice. "Only once the words of the riddle have played out and come to pass will their meanings take hold."  
  
The dark-haired one snickered and the blonde one smiled too.  
  
"So she let you all go because you gave her a prophecy for her to work out is what I'm hearing." The dark-haired one said. I nodded.  
  
After that, we talked until the others started packing up. Then we got the animals and food on the ship and left the island for noontide.  
  
The mainland was great. I got to keep the lion, and the ewes had all had their kids, so I got to take one of them as well as a token from the men that had been pigs in thanks for what I had done. None of the other crewmates besides the brothers had found out about them being pigs, the men were already embarrassed enough that it had happened and I was the one to get them free of their pig skinned prisons.  
  
I had met a man who looked like my father at the docks, and I'm sure he was him because he looked just as surprised to see me as Uncle H had been. He also said 'Mother' and stared at the lion that was by my side. Circe had given the lion a slow aging potion so that it could stay with me and protect me, since looking like my grandmother had come up in conversation when she didn't know who my grandmother was.  
  
He had been working with the nets of his own boat. When he saw me, he dropped them. He hopped out and came to stand in front of me. That was when the hopeful light in his eyes also dimmed, just like Uncle H's when he had determined that I was not his mother.  
  
I recognized the godly aura of the sea around him, so when he stood in front of me, I curtsied and bowed my head, though my eyes didn't leave him. My lion, who I had decided to name Angelica, stayed at my side, resting her paws on my feet.  
  
"Hello, my Lord." I didn't rise, just keeping my head bowed. He sighed before speaking. "Rise, young one." I did so at once.  
  
He looked at me for a few seconds with an appraising eye before speaking again. "So, you are the one who presumes herself to be my daughter?" He asked though the question was rhetorical. "You don't look like too much, though I must admit, the resemblance to my mother is in perfect fit."  
  
I nodded. "So I was told once, my Lord. Though I was told that in warning."  
  
"By whom? I don't think my baby brother would even bother, though if he had seen you himself, he just might have. One of your Aunts perhaps?"  
  
"No, my Lord. I was told by Lord Hades of my resemblance to her." I corrected his train of thought. He didn't seem to mind that much, despite what I had heard of his temper in the days of old which were now.  
  
"I should have thought as much. Where did you meet him, it surely couldn't have been in his land of the dead." He asked, a slight edge of concern in his voice, if I had not been listening to him fully, I would not have noticed it.  
  
"It was on a spot near the beach of Ithaca. He had been sitting near the edge where the grass had begun to meet the sand." I told him. I wasn't about to deny my father answers.  
  
He nodded. "I might remember that night. It was the closest he had gotten to my domain since the last turn of winter into spring, as he always goes when the time of his wife leaving the Underworld arrives."  
  
That sent a pang of sadness through me. He always goes near the ocean when Persephone leaves for spring. It wasn't just the flowers he had been longing for, it was the comfort from his brother, my father. He had said that it was only Persephone, Aunt Hestia, and my dad who had considered him family before, so maybe the ocean was the greatest comfort he could find when Persephone leaves. Maybe my trying to comfort him was better than I had originally thought for him.  
  
Dad studied me while I was thinking, and I could tell he had seen my sadness for my Uncle. A small smile pulled at the corners of his lips, and he spoke again. "You, Andre, are my daughter alright. Not many would have such sympathy for my older brother, and I can sense the ocean in your veins." He paused before jumping back into his boat and picking up an empty basket. It suddenly became full, and a blanket wrapped the things in it, concealing it from my sights. A lid appeared and capped it all off.  
  
He came back up and handed it to me, and at my confused look, he gave a chuckle. "No daughter of mine will go without the comforts of the sea. In here, you will find what you need, and if you wish to refill it, all you need to do is put the basket in a source of moving water, or the water of the ocean. Only you can open it."  
  
Then he dug into the pouch that hung at his side, presumably made for storing shells and other finds out on a beach. From it, he took an Angulate wentletrap shell, and as I watched, a band made of fine braided Atlantean silver wove itself around an almost invisible hole in the rounded bit until it looked like a choker with a hanging shell. I could tell that the metal was enchanted to shrink and grow around the neck of whoever wore it, so it would always fit perfectly.  
  
He handed that to me as well. "For your little lion friend." With that, he jumped back onto his boat, and I bent down to put the new collar around Angelica's neck. When I looked back to the boat, it was gone.  
  
I stared at the spot for a few seconds before deciding that I wanted to get moving. "Come along Angelica. We have some wandering to do." As attentive as she had been back on Circe's island, she stood and together, with the sheep walking by my side led by Angelica behind her, we left the harbor. I kept staring at the basket in my arms. It was almost like a food strainer made of thin and flexible sticks, the kind of basket that Christians might have expected Moses to have been put in as an infant.  
  
So I didn't notice when I almost ran into someone. Angelica had softly butted her head against my leg, so I didn't run into them in the end. It was the dark-haired man again. "Where are you going this time with no one by your side?" He asked, staring down at me. I guess it was only now that I noticed how much taller he was than me.  
  
I hadn't grown in the months that I had been here, so while I was at the small height of 3'8", he was at a more towering height of maybe 6'3". I was about at the height of his waist, I was so short. "Anywhere." Was the answer that I gave him, staring up at his tall figure.  
  
"No set place in mind then? You going to go wherever your feet will take you?" He asked, curiosity the main component driving his words.  
  
In answer, all I gave him was a nod. With that, he seemed satisfied. I felt compelled to go a certain direction after that talk.  
  
You know, as an 8-year-old, my attention span shouldn't have lasted so long, especially with my ADHD. However, I was able to travel from June to August to the place I had felt compelled to go to, which was surprisingly the city of Thebes. It was almost August 18, my ninth birthday, when I got there.  
  
I was at the edge of the city, just walking with Angelica and the sheep, which happened to be a ram that I called Wessler. I don't exactly know what Wessler means, I called him that one day and he looked at me and walked to me, so I had kept calling him that. I saw a couple, and when they saw me, they were really nice. They noted the animals I kept as company and introduced me to their young daughter, Bacca.  
  
She looked confused when she was called that, and confused when they called her their daughter or by feminine pronouns, so I took a guess that this 'young girl' was actually Bacchus when he was a demigod. Still, the couple let me stay in their home, and Bacchus became my friend.  
  
He actually rather liked to play card games with me, so I made the Myth'o'Magic cards into a kind of playing card deck, with the three kings, and then the last royal deck being made of different monsters, with Ladon being the king and Kampe being the ace. So begins his love of card games. That was my main thought about it.  
  
Then I realized why I was here. Only two weeks after my birthday, a woman came to their door. When she saw me she was slightly surprised, and I saw that same mutter that both my father and uncle did, the muttering of the word 'mother'. But she did something, and I knew who she was then. She had made the two adults of the house go insane. I could tell that it scared Bacchus to no end, he clutched onto me and started crying at the scary behavior of his adoptive parents.  
  
I tried to stop them, I really did. But his mother and father both killed themselves out of their madness. So yeah, I cried. They had shown me true kindness, letting me into their home even though they had a young son of Zeus to keep hidden from the world. I cried with Bacchus, he held himself as close to me as he could while he cried too.  
  
It was then that I took him to travel with me. He was a strange boy, but that was what was most interesting about him. I had always wondered why it seemed Mr. D had liked me the most out of the campers, besides his own two sons. He must have figured that was me, which it was.  
  
I was sad when only three weeks after it happened, I had a vision of going into a temple and sacrificing Wessler in exchange for the protection of Bacchus. It made sense, Wessler was a pure white ram with horns that were the brownish-yellow color of gold. Honestly, the worst part about it was that Wessler was okay with it. He was perfectly fine with the whole thing!  
  
So, yeah, when I sacrificed him in that temple, a temple to Hera I might add, I did cry. It felt like a betrayal to me, the fact that he was an animal I was told to kill by a god didn't make it any easier. I didn't show my tears to Bacchus, but it was clear that he knew they were there.  
  
So on we traveled again.


End file.
